Thieves steal Newton South students' project

Tuesday

Jul 8, 2014 at 2:17 PMJul 8, 2014 at 3:04 PM

By Jim MorrisonJmorrison@wickedlocal.com

The director of global communities at Newton South High School said that eight native plants worth more than $300 that were part of studentsí sustainability program were stolen from behind the building last week.Michael Kozuch, the teacher who runs the program, said the plants were taken from one of the stops on a short outdoor walk called the Green Trail that students created to point out the effects of climate change.Among the items stolen were a dogwood tree, a pine tree, a pepper bush, serviceberry, a viburnum and a watering hose, according to Kozuch. He said the plants were donated by the New England Wildflower Society"My first reaction was disbelief that anyone would do such a thing," Kozuch wrote in an email. "Digging up plants that were meant for students to learn about their natural world is unconscionable."Kozuch said he was also disappointed for the students who worked so hard on the project, though since the thefts occurred after the end of the school year, they havenít found out they were stolen yet."They worked really hard on this project and it is such a shame that someone would vandalize their project. I am also disappointed for the community because this project was meant for the Newton community to enjoy," Kozuch said.Follow @JimMorrisonTAB on Twitter